Pratto cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
The 26-year-old missed out on Kansas City's Opening Day roster after slashing .200/.351/.333 with 13 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances during spring training. Pratto made just one appearance with the Royals last year and had a .728 OPS in 116 contests at Omaha.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Battling for bench role
Rotowire
Pratto is working in the outfield this spring in an effort to win a utility role, MLB.com reports. He's competing with Dairon Blanco, Joey Wiemer and Drew Waters for a bench spot.
Pratto hit just .240 with 16 home runs and a .728 OPS at Triple-A last season but still has significant power, as he hit 36 homers in the minors in 2021. He's likely a long shot to win a roster spot, though he is out of options. He's hitting just 1-for-10 in his first five spring games.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Summoned by Royals
Rotowire
Pratto was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
Pratto will get his first taste of MLB action this season after slashing .230/.315/.378 with seven homers in 54 games at Omaha. With Adam Frazier headed to the bereavement list and Hunter Renfroe (toe) pushed to the IL, Pratto should serve primarily as a reserve first baseman but could see some action in the outfield.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Royals optioned Pratto to Triple-A Omaha on Friday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
If decisions were made strictly on spring performance, Pratto would have made the club, as he slashed a robust .421/.476/.816 with four home runs. First base, the corner outfield spots and designated hitter are spoken for with the Royals though, so he'll head back to Omaha where he'll play every day.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Pratto isn't in the Royals' lineup Sunday against Houston.
Pratto will take a seat Sunday after logging a hit in each of the first two games of the series. Nick Loftin will fill in at first base and bat fifth in Pratto's place.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: On bench amid slump
Rotowire
Pratto is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Guardians
Since returning from a left groin strain Sept. 8, Pratto has struggled across eight games, reaching base just three times in 25 plate appearances. With only one extra-base hit in the span, it has amounted to a low OPS of .287. Tuesday will be the fourth time the first baseman is not starting since his return from the injured list.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Sitting nightcap
Rotowire
Pratto isn't in the Royals' lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader with the White Sox.
After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the first game of Tuesday's activities, Pratto will get a chance to regroup during the nightcap. Matt Duffy will cover first base and bat sixth in Pratto's absence.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Not in lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Pratto is not in the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays.
Pratto is being eased back into action after returning Friday from a several-week absence to heal a left groin strain. Nick Loftin will start at first base and bat seventh for the Royals on Sunday at Toronto.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Pratto (groin/hip) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Omaha.
Pratto seems likely to return to the Royals' active major-league roster by early next week, assuming all goes well during his stint in the minors. The 24-year-old landed on the injured list July 28 with a left groin strain and encountered a bit of a hip issue last week, but he's ready now to get back into live games.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Nearing rehab assignment
Rotowire
Pratto (groin/hip) is expected to resume his rehab assignment later this week, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Pratto recently suffered a "minor setback" in his recovery from the lower-half injury that sent him to the injured list in late July, but taking a few days off appears to have resolved the issue. He's slated to go through all baseball activities Tuesday. Barring any issues, Pratto should resume playing in minor-league games before the week comes to a close.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Minor setback on rehab assignment
Rotowire
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Friday that Pratto (groin) suffered a "minor setback" on his rehab assignment, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Pratto has returned to Kansas City and will be reevaluated Monday. While the setback has been deemed minor, it could still push Pratto's return back into early September. He's been on the shelf since late July with a left groin strain.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Beginning rehab assignment
Rotowire
Pratto (groin) is set to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Omaha.
Pratto is recovered from the left groin strain that sent him to the injured list in late July, and he should be ready to return to the Royals' active roster by early next week after a few tune-up games on the farm. The 24-year-old first baseman and corner outfielder has mostly disappointed this season, slashing just .238/.324/.376 with seven homers and 31 RBI across 299 major-league plate appearances.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: On bench against lefty
Rotowire
Pratto is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Guardians.
Matt Duffy will get the call at first base against left-hander Logan Allen. While his strikeouts have been exorbitant against both lefties and righties, Pratto has actually fared better versus southpaws this season with a .765 OPS and four of his seven home runs.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Gets Wednesday off
Rotowire
Pratto is not in the starting lineup against the Guardians on Wednesday, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Pratto will take a seat after going 0-for-7 over his last two games with six strikeouts. The left-handed hitter will take a breather with Matt Beaty hitting third and playing first base against Logan Allen and the Guardians.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Slugs fifth homer
Rotowire
Pratto went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-3 loss to the Rays.
He led off the game by ripping Zach Eflin's second pitch over the right-field fence, but things quickly got away from Kansas City after that. Pratto snapped a 15-game power drought with the blast and is up to five homers on the season, but the 24-year-old is slashing just .196/.269/.326 with a 38.5 percent strikeout rate through 13 contests since Vinnie Pasquantino (shoulder) was lost for the year.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Sitting versus lefty
Rotowire
Pratto isn't in the Royals' lineup Thursday against Tampa Bay.
Left-hander Shane McClanahan will start on the mound for the Rays, meaning the lefty-hitting Pratto will remain in the dugout to begin Thursday's contest. Instead, Matt Duffy will pick up a start at first base and bat sixth.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Sleeper hitters for Week 12 (June 12-18)
Rotowire
Pratto's performance so far makes little sense given his high strikeout rate and poor exit velocity readings, but we might as well take advantage when the Royals have the fourth-best hitter matchups, including three games against lefties. You might think the lefties would be bad news for Pratto, but hs actually has an .899 OPS against them.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Homers again in loss
Rotowire
Pratto went 2-for-5 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Monday's 9-6 loss to the Marlins.
Pratto led off the third inning with a solo shot off the left-handed Braxton Garrett, his fourth homer of the year and his second in three games. The 24-year-old Pratto has gone 10-for-27 (.370) with a 1.119 OPS in his last seven games, boosting his slash line to .298/.393/.463 with 15 RBI and 17 runs scored through 140 plate appearances this season.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Swats leadoff homer
Rotowire
Pratto went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Rockies.
Pratto opened the bottom of the first inning with his first homer since May 10, but it only cut the deficit to 5-1 after a horrendous first frame from Daniel Lynch. Pratto has gone 7-for-19 (.368) over his last five contests while continuing to see time out of the leadoff spot. The 24-year-old is now slashing .292/.394/.442 with three homers, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored and a stolen base through 33 games. The lack of consistency in the Royals' lineup could make it hard for Pratto to accrue counting stats even if his bat remains solid all year.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Smacks three hits
Rotowire
Pratto went 3-for-6 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 7-0 win over the Cardinals.
This was Pratto's fifth turn in the leadoff spot in the last seven games, though he's struggled a bit since he bumped Bobby Witt from atop the order. Over that seven-game span, Pratto has gone 6-for-27 (.222) with just two extra-base hits and a 4:10 BB:K. Despite the recent struggles, he's still sporting one of the Royals' more encouraging batting lines, slashing .301/.395/.437 through 30 contests. Pratto also has a 32.8 percent strikeout rate and just one stolen base on the year, so he doesn't really possess the tools to be an effective long-term option at leadoff.
